Beet Root Sambar - A Tangy BeetRoot Lentil Gravy

Beetroot is used as one of the main vegetables to prepare sambar and palya. It's very colorful, tasty and healthy too. Beetroot itself is sweet in taste, by adding little tamarind or sour tomatoes you will get a well-blended taste of sourness and sweetness, which gives you a yummy gravy/curry/sambar. Here I am giving you the recipe of sambar which can be served with rice, dosa, or chapathi.

Cuisine: Indian | Cooking: 10 minutes
Preparation: 10 minutes | Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

Toor dal                   -    1 cup
Beetroot                  -     2 medium size
Onion                      -    1 medium size
coriander leaves       -    2 tbsp
Salt                         -    as per taste
Sambar powder        -   1 tbsp (for spicy add one more tbsp)
Water                      -    5-6

To Temper:

Oil                      -  1 tbsp
Ghee                  -   1 tbsp 
Asafoetida/hing   -   a pinch
Mustard seeds     -  1 tbsp
Cumin seeds       -  1 tbsp  
Curry leaves        -   1 spring

To Grind:

Green chilies -  2-3
Grated coconut    -  1/2 cup
Ginger-Garlic       -  both 1/2 tbsp 
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tbsp
Tamarind             -  1 small lemon size(optional)
Tomato                -  2 small size

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal and beetroot for 2 whistles in a medium flame. Set aside till pressure out from cooker and cool.
2. In a while, add grated coconut, green chilies, ginger-garlic, turmeric powder and tamarind in a jar and make a soft paste by adding water.
3. Once all done, take a deep pan/Kadai, add oil and ghee to heat. once heated add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves fry few minutes.
4. Now add onion, fry till it gets transparency. now add the prepared paste and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Next add cooked toor dal-beetroot mixture, followed by water, sambar powder, and salt. cook well in a low flame until powder and salt observed well.
6. Now switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:

• Onion is optional, you can skip if you don't like adding it.
• Beetroot itself is sweet so no need of adding jaggery.
• You can add little potato and carrot as an optional vegetable to the sambar along with beetroot.

If you like this post, kindly provide your valuable comments below and do share your experience with your friends and family. Thank you :)